And with that, All Might's tale came to a close. He'd obviously not told them everything, having left out the intimate details and sticking only to what the two teens needed to know. Melissa and Midoriya stared on even as the story ended, though the old hero wasn't quite able to gauge their thoughts from their expressions alone. He let out a sigh, hanging his head a bit.

"Melissa, I… I'm sorry we had to keep this from you for so long. You have no idea how much your father and I wanted to tell you the truth, but…"

To that, Melissa shook her head, a gentle smile appearing on her lips.

"No, I understand. You were just trying to protect me from that villain, right? The one that did this to you…" she replied, her expression growing more somber as she referred to All Might's broken, emaciated body.

"Yes… Though it seems like our efforts weren't entirely effective. That bastard had his hand in what happened here at the expo. I'm not saying that to try to excuse what Dave did, because it was wrong, but… There might not have been so much damage done if he hadn't been involved."

"B-but… what now?" Midoriya chimed in anxiously. "Now that Melissa knows, won't she be in more danger? What do we do?"

All Might gave the boy a reassuring smile.

"We do what we always do with this sort of thing, Young Midoriya; we keep it our little secret," he replied, holding a finger up coyly in front of his lips. His attention then shifted back to his daughter. "Honestly, this was probably the best time for you to find out. You're old enough now that you can appreciate the gravity of the situation, and the events of the expo served as a perfect demonstration of what happens to those close to me. After all this, I don't think I have to worry about you going around bragging about how you're All Might's daughter."

"I'll admit it's pretty tempting, but you're right. I don't want you to have to worry about my safety on top of everything else," Melissa replied with a small chuckle, to which All Might couldn't help but smile warmly.

"I don't think there's anything that would make me stop worrying about you," he replied, painfully aware that he'd been told that very thing by the girl's father back before she was born.

Before they could discuss anything further, All Might felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He and Midoriya pulled their phones out practically at the same time, the boy having gotten the same notification as him. It was a reminder they'd set to ensure they got back to the airport on time. He let out a sigh. He really wished he could stay and talk longer, but…

"Looks like we've really got to go this time, my boy…" he announced with clear resignation, pushing himself up to his feet with a small grunt of discomfort. He was still pretty sore from his fight with Wolfram, after all. Before he even thought to leave, however, he retrieved his suitcase and propped it up against the couch. Both Melissa and Midoriya watched with no shortage of curiosity as All Might opened up his carefully packed luggage, reaching in to retrieve something that had been rather deliberately tucked away in a secure, hidden place.

When the old hero turned back towards the two teens, he held in his hands a photo album that was well worn from age and regular handling, the leather of the cover cracked and faded. His hands seemed to grasp it tightly for a moment as though he was reluctant to let it out of his possession, but he eventually held it out towards his daughter.

"Here. I've had this practically since you were born, but… I think it would be better if you had it now."

Melissa took the old photo album carefully from her mother's hands, holding it gently as though afraid it may fall apart if she was too rough with it. As she flipped it open, All Might was not at all surprised to find his young successor peeking eagerly over the girl's arm, his fanboyism kicking into high gear at the prospect of seeing what had to be the rarest pictures of his idol in the world. He didn't mind if Midoriya saw them. The boy was family to him at this point.

The two teens flipped through pages that had clearly been handled almost daily for nearly two decades, looking over all the pictures that Gran Torino had included when he'd first put the album together. There was a very clear transition point where All Might himself suddenly stopped appearing in the photos, the last half of the album consisting almost exclusively of Melissa and Dave, pictures that the girl's father had sent him throughout the years.

"A-are you sure it's okay for me to keep these?" Melissa asked finally, looking up at the old hero after she'd gotten through the pictures she'd never seen before. He merely replied with a gentle smile.

"I'm sure. I've looked at those old pictures so much that they're practically burned into my mind. They're probably my most treasured possessions, but… That's why I want you to have them."

Melissa stared down at the photo album for another long moment, and All Might couldn't help but flinch slightly when he noticed the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes behind her glasses. Oh no, please don't let her start crying! He wasn't sure he could keep himself from breaking down into tears himself if he had to see her cry right there in front of him.

She set the photo album down on the couch before running over to her mother, wrapping her arms around his narrow torso and burying her face against his shirt. He instinctively returned the gesture, hugging her close.

"Thank you so much for everything, Unc—" Melissa cut herself off abruptly before finishing, quickly correcting with a soft, "I mean… Dad."

All Might could feel his heart flutter in his chest at hearing that single word, his eyes almost immediately filling to the breaking point with happy tears. No, he wasn't going to cry. He promised himself he wasn't going to cry! Of course, though he was not nearly so much of a crybaby as he had been in his younger days, finally hearing his daughter call him 'Dad' after seventeen years was more than he could handle. So yes, despite himself, he was going to cry that day.

All Might had to take a moment to compose himself before they left the hotel room, but they couldn't afford to linger any longer. The two heroes said their last goodbyes to Melissa, letting her leave first before the older hero finally shifted back into his muscle form. As they made their way down the hall, however, All Might suddenly came to an abrupt halt after taking just a few steps away from their suite.

"Uhhh… All Might? Is everything okay?" Midoriya asked, a tone of mild concern in his voice as he looked up towards his mentor. The old hero stood frozen there, his smile strained, staring at the wall with wide eyes. This of course confused the hell out of the teen… until he traced his teacher's gaze and saw what it was that had caught his eye. It was barely noticeable at all – in fact, Midoriya was quite impressed that All Might had seen it at all in passing – but there was a very small, very distinct hole in the wall outside the room they'd just been talking in. It was the perfect size to insert a headphone jack into.

As the reality of what must have happened sank in, the two of them found themselves simultaneously breaking out into a full sprint down the hall, practically flying down the stairs faster than it took the elevator to clear a single floor. Sure enough, when they got to the lobby they found that the entirety of Class 1-A had gathered there, each with their own luggage in tow in preparation to leave. They hadn't quite noticed the two of them there yet, so they didn't know to play it cool. A lot of them were divided off into several small groups, gossiping with one another in hushed tones. Though there were several conversations going on at once, it was clear they were all talking about the same thing.

Not all of them were talking, of course. Todoroki had settled himself in an armchair, his hands together over his mouth and nose in an expression that screamed that his mind was still in the process of being blown. On the one hand, he fucking knew it, but on the other hand the truth had gone far beyond his own conspiracy theory.

Not everyone was being quite so quiet about their shock, unfortunately, and it didn't take long for a certain pair's discussion to reach the ears of the last person they wanted to hear it.

"Dude, I still can't believe we were hitting on All Might's daughter this whole time… All Might's freaking daughter, dude! He's gonna kill us if he finds out!" Kaminari whimpered out, his hands gripping tightly at his hair in his panic. At about the same moment, Kirishima's eyes widened in horror, being the first among them to finally spot their teacher there in the entrance to the lobby.

"Uhhh… Guys?" he tried to interrupt, waving his hand frantically to get his classmates' attention. Unfortunately, Mineta didn't quite get the hint, the diminutive hero still staring off into the distance.

"I've never before retroactively regretted peeking up a skirt in my life… What do you call it when you're scared but horny at the same time? Is this what a fear boner is like?"

"Guys!"

But it was too late. In the next instant, both Kaminari and Mineta would find one of each of their arms clamped tightly in the vice-like grip of All Might's strong hands. They let out a yelp, looking up to find the pro hero towering over them like a mountain, anger clear on his face even through that persistent smile of his.

"So!" All Might began loudly enough that the whole gathering of his students could hear him – not that he needed to, as they'd all fallen into a dead silence the instant they'd noticed him there. "It seems like we need to have a refresher course on improper Quirk use, don't we, Miss Jirou?"

At that, Jirou could be seen slumping where she sat in one of the lobby armchairs, her earphone jacks tucking away into her hair as though hoping that would make the old hero forget they existed. In the meantime, Midoriya found himself looking around at his fellow classmates with panic-stricken eyes. This was really bad! Of course he and Melissa could be trusted to keep their mouths shut about such a thing, but his entire class?! If even one of them let it slip, it would be all over the news within hours!

"O-oh man, All Might… What do we do now?" he stammered out nervously, looking up to his mentor for answers. All Might was clearly struggling to find those answers, but he obviously couldn't just leave it as it was.

"All right, new rule! What happens on I-Island stays on I-Island!"

Midoriya couldn't help but slap a hand over his face at that. He couldn't honestly believe that would work! Then again, perhaps the hero's intimidating glare would be enough to keep any of them from spreading their gossip around, so…

"Ooh! Ooh! Wait, I have a question!" Ashido piped up suddenly, raising her hand in the air as though they were back in the classroom. All Might let out a sigh as though he knew he was going to regret indulging the girl.

"Yes, Miss Ashido?"

"So… Did you and your baby-daddy, like, do it while you were here visiting him?" she asked with the biggest shit-eating grin plastered across her face.

"M-Mina!" Yaoyorozu scolded in shock, backing several paces away from her friend as though she suddenly had a target painted on her face.

"Whaaat? I just wanna know if we should be planning a baby shower soon! I mean, you guys heard the story! This is probably how it happened in the first place!"

All Might's face had turned beet red with embarrassment at the current subject of conversation among his students, but he somehow managed to stay relatively composed even as he pointed somewhat forcefully over towards the hotel doors.

"Airport. Now."

"See?! That's not a no!"

"I said now!"

All Might tried to stifle a small grunt as he sat himself down at his desk in the staff room, trying to avoid having his coworkers pester him with worry over his health. He'd finally been allowed to remove the last of his bandages from his final battle with All for One, but his body was still riddled with aches and pains. He supposed he just had to resign himself to the fact that such was the norm for him now, especially since his Quirk was gone for good.

The retired hero let out a heavy sigh. He wasn't really sure what he was meant to do. He still wasn't back to his full teaching duties since they were still trying to figure out how he could teach his class without his former strength. For now, the most he could do was observe the students from afar and offer what little advice he could, and even that much felt a bit hollow.

Not wanting to mire himself too deeply into such depressing thoughts, All Might glanced over at the framed photograph he'd placed discretely next to his computer, a small smile forming on his lips. It was something Melissa had sent him a few months back; the only picture they'd managed to take of her and both of her parents together on I-Island before the expo fiasco. Midoriya was there too, which served as a fine distraction from any suspicions that it was just as much a family photo as it looked.

God, he missed them… Not that such a feeling was anything new to him, but now that he didn't have to hide anything from Melissa anymore… He was somewhat upset when he wasn't allowed to go visit her for her eighteenth birthday, but he understood why they'd restricted his travel after his retirement. Hell, he couldn't even wander around campus without having a pro hero glued to his hip as a bodyguard. Speaking of which…

"Hey. Got a minute?"

All Might looked up from his desk when he heard a tired voice address him from behind. He glanced up, spotting Aizawa standing there just behind his shoulder.

"Sure, but… Isn't it almost time for class to start? You'll need to get to homeroom any minute now."

"That's what I need you for. We're making an announcement to the students and I need you there for it."

A chill ran down All Might's spine at that, anxiety bubbling up inside him in an instant. He hadn't heard of any announcement being made, and that's what worried him. There had been a lot of staff meetings lately – meetings that he was expressly forbidden from taking part in. He had to tell himself that, contrary to his worst fears, U.A. High wasn't the type of place to cruelly sack him in front of an entire class of students. Unfortunately, he couldn't really think of anything else he could possibly be needed for. Still, there was no reason for him to decline. It's not like he had anything better to do.

A few minutes later, he found himself standing in front of the blackboard of Class 1-A, which felt rather awkward now that he could only remain in his true form. He wasn't used to having so many eyes glued to him while he was like that. Luckily, since he had no clue what this announcement was about, Aizawa quickly called the room to attention and got down to business.

"Alright, before we get to your first class, there are a few announcements we've got to get out of the way. First of all, as some of you may have heard, we've got a new addition to U.A.'s faculty starting today."

All Might flinched visibly at the news. He hadn't heard a thing about a new teacher until now. Could they have hired a replacement for him already? Dammit, he hadn't even been working there a year yet, but already…

"I know this might not make a whole lot of sense to tell you all first, since this new teacher won't be giving lessons in the Hero Department—"

All Might perked up a bit, his confusion overwhelming his relief at that little detail. Wait, they weren't replacing him?

"—But nonetheless, I'd like to introduce you all to our new professor in the Support Department."

As if on cue, the classroom door slid open. Compared to all the other teachers there at U.A., this man looked remarkably plain, dressed simply in light gray slacks and a blue button-down shirt. He clearly wasn't Japanese, but aside from that he was the sort of person one wouldn't give a second glance if they passed him on the street. Even so, All Might could feel his heart begin to pound away in his chest at the sight of the man, those dull blue eyes of his smiling at him from behind his glasses.

"D-Dave?!" the retired hero gasped out in utter disbelief. There was no way this could be real! Dave was supposed to be in jail right now, though he hadn't been told the details of his lover's sentencing for what he'd done back on I-Island. He was sure he must be seeing things, but the way the other man smiled back at his so warmly…

"Long time no see, eh Toshi?" Dave replied jokingly, even though they hadn't seen one another in several months. It was still shorter than the last few times that they'd been apart. All Might struggled to resist the urge to pull his lover into a tight hug, painfully aware of the group of teenagers looking on from their desks. He also had to keep from bombarding the former scientist with questions, but Aizawa stepped in to move things along.

"I'm sure Professor Shield will be an excellent addition to the staff. Just be sure not to bombard him with requests for improvements to your gear. I'll remind everyone that there are allotted timeframes each year to submit such requests, and that time has passed for this semester," the erasure hero droned out blandly, shuffling around a few papers on his podium. "For our next announcement, I'd like to turn it over to All Might."

"W-wait, what..?" All Might stammered out in confusion, looking back towards his fellow teacher for some sort of explanation as to what he was supposed to be saying. Alas, all Aizawa offered him was that infamous 'logical ruse' grin of his. Was this some sort of prank? The old hero then looked out over the seated students, finding that the entire class was leaning forward over their desks expectantly, particularly the girls. Oh jeez, were they all in on it, too?! What was going on here?!

Finally, he turned his attention back to Dave, fully expecting him to be just as confused as he was. What he saw instead was his old partner's nervous, apologetic smile. Wait, him too?!

"Okay, before you say anything… This was entirely your students' idea," the scientist began, holding his hands up defensively. "Alright, well… Maybe not entirely their idea. I've wanted to do this for ages. They just insisted it happen here. I agreed because, well… I owe them for giving me the opportunity to be here at all."

"Wh-what?" All Might asked, his bow furrowing in utter confusion. He looked out over the class again, whose collective grin seemed to have only widened since he'd last glanced their way. He narrowed his eyes at them in suspicion. "What did you all do?"

"Well, I mean…" Uraraka began, rubbing at the back of her head almost bashfully. "We started feeling really bad for eavesdropping on your conversation with Melissa, and you seemed really down after we all left I-Island, so… We thought maybe we could try to do something to make it up to you!"

"I-Island doesn't belong to any country, so technically there weren't any laws there to break," Yaoyorozu chimed in. "All of the rules are enforced by the board of investors, which my parents happen to be on. I talked to them about it, and they managed to convince the rest of the board to let Professor Shield off without any jail time. He had to give up all his old research and he's not allowed back to I-Island, but… It meant he was able to come here."

"Yeah! And then we all told Principal Nezu about him and he practically hired him on the spot!" Ashido added enthusiastically, throwing her arms up in the air in excitement. "We wanted it to be a big surprise when he finally started work here, so… Surprise!"

All Might couldn't believe what he was hearing. Had his students really planned all this out for him? Before he could question it further, he felt Dave grab hold of his hand. The retired hero looked down to meet his partner's loving gaze.

"Your students really are something else, Toshi. I didn't deserve to be let go like this, but… They did it all for you. You really are an amazing guy to have inspired such thoughtful kids, you know that?"

"Dave, what are you..?" All Might started in confusion, watching as the other man pulled off the fake wedding ring he'd worn for the past eighteen years and tossed it to the ground.

"There's nothing left to stand in our way anymore. You defeated that villain you were always so afraid of, and now he's locked away where he can't get to us. Melissa's all grown up, and you've already told her the truth, so we don't even need to hide it from her anymore. You're retired from your hero work, and I'm… Well, I'm here now. So…"

All Might's eyes widened as he watched Dave lower himself down to one knee, his heart skipping a beat as he finally realized what everyone in the class had been conspiring towards.

"I've wanted to ask you this for damn near twenty years, and now I finally can. I know were just a couple of washed-up old men at this point, but… I really hope it's not too late for us to start a life together like we always wanted.

"Toshinori Yagi, will you marry me?"

All Might couldn't stop the stupid grin that spread across his lips at that, his long bangs falling over his face to hide the tears rapidly gathering at the corners of his eyes. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, but he didn't want to pull his hands from where Dave held them in his own. He could practically feel the entire class staring at him intently, holding their breaths as they waited for his answer.

"Of course I will! How the hell could I say no to that?"

As the class exploded into a chorus of cheers and clapping, All Might pulled Dave back up to his feet, immediately wrapping his arms around his fiancé in a warm embrace.

The End